Matt woke slowly. The room was dark and for a moment he feared
he'd slept all day. He stretched and reached for his brother and
found the spot next to him empty but still warm. He smiled and rolled
over curling up in the spot where Joe once lay. He breathed deep and
took in his lover's scent. The trip with it's bumpy start was shaping
up well after all.

Matt strained to hear where his lover was. The smell of garlic hit
his nose and he knew Joe was cooking. He sat up and stretched again
before leaving the bed and heading for the bathroom. He turned on the
shower adjusting the temperature till it was perfect and stepped in.
The bathroom smelled of soap and Joe's cologne so he knew his
half-brother had been up for a while. The thought of Joe made Matt
hard and he regretted not making love to his brother earlier. He
hoped Joe was making one of those Italian dishes that needed to
simmer on a low flame so he could entice his older brother back to
the bedroom.

Matt resisted once again the urge to gratify himself. He turned
off the water, grabbed a towel and dried himself off as he stepped
out of the shower. Going through his grooming ritual, he brushed his
teeth, combed his still wet hair and returned to the bedroom. The
younger Roman grabbed a white tee shirt and a pair of shorts and
dressed. He deliberately skipped putting on underwear knowing it
would be just one more thing to take off later.

Joe was in the kitchen singing while he chopped, stirred, simmered
and tasted the meal his was preparing for he and Matt. Sensing his
lover's presence in the room Joe spoke without looking up, “Good
afternoon sleepy head.”

“What time is it?” Matt asked stretching again.

“A little after two,” the older boy answered.
“Hungry?” Joe asked.

Matt looked his brother who was dressed in similar fashion as
himself up and down. “Definitely,” he smiled.

“For food Mattie,” Joe replied, feigning disgust.

“That too,” Matt said, knowing by the tent in his
brother's shorts that he wasn't offended at all by the suggestion.

“I've created a monster,” Joe said looking up to the
ceiling.

Matt laughed and stepped up behind his brother, wrapping his arms
around his waist.

“Don't distract the chef or you'll end up with peanut butter
and jelly instead of fine Italian cuisine.”

Matt only pressed his body closer, rolling his hips against Joe's
firm buns.

“Mattie, I'm serious,” Joe said sternly, “You
have to eat first. Why don't you go straighten up the bedroom and
clean the bathroom. Lunch will be ready in a few minutes.”

Matt knew his brother was serious so he reluctantly released his
brother and was about to to leave sulking when Joe reached for him
and pulled him close.

“You're cute when you're being bossy and giving orders,”
Matt said, trying unsuccessfully not to smile.

A few more kisses passed between them. The first soft and light,
lips barely brushing against each others. The next with lips slightly
parted, tongues allowing access to one another, tentatively meeting.
Finally a more heated kiss with promises of things to come later.
With bodies pressed closer still, Joe cupped the back of his
brother's head and entangled his fingers in his still wet locks. Matt
wrapped an arm around his brother's neck lifting up slightly on his
toes. They kissed and kissed until both were breathless. Joe forced
himself to break their union. Turning Matt around and pointing him
out of the kitchen and towards the hall that led to their bedroom, he
patted him on the but and commanded him to go.

He watched as Matt walked down the hall. It took every ounce of
his will not to follow the younger man. Sighing, he returned to the
kitchen and finished up their lunch. After several minutes, the meal
was finally ready. He set the table, poured the drinks and added a
little garnish to the pasta dish he'd prepared.

“Mattie,” he called as he placed napkins and
silverware on the table.

“Mattie,” he called again. He had a sneaking suspicion
that his younger brother was trying to lure him into the bedroom.

“I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to
work,” Joe called from halfway down the hall.

“Matthew Roman come out here this instant or face
punishment.”

Joe stood still. The house was eerily silent. “Matt,”
Joe called, his voice cracked just a little. He felt his feet moving
faster and faster down the hall.

He flung the door open and saw the bed made and the curtains open.
He turned to the bathroom. The sound of running water came faintly
through the closed door. Joe smirked at the thought of his horny
little brother waiting naked for him in the shower.

“Alright Matthew,” he yelled stepping to the door,
“for putting me through two minutes of hell...prepare to meet
your punisher.”

Joe flung open the door willing to let lunch wait. Blood drained
from his face when he saw the still figure lying twisted in the
bathtub, his head resting along the edge. Water soaked his clothes
from the shower pouring down on him. Joe couldn't move. His brain
couldn't process what his eyes were seeing. After what seemed like an
eternity, Joe lurched forward crying out his lover's name. He was
afraid to touch him. He reached for the knobs to turn off the water.
He checked his pulse and tried to determine if his lover was still
breathing. He observed a spray bottle of bathroom cleaner and a rag
near Matt's lifeless form. He ran to the phone in the bedroom and
dialed 911. He frantically relayed the details to the operator who
was infuriatingly calm. His lover may be dying and she kept asking
questions. After he was assured that an ambulance was on it's way and
received careful instructions not to move him, Joe dialed Jim who
promised to be there shortly.

Joe ran to the front door and opened it. He wrung his hands
looking up and down the street, listening for the sound of sirens. He
ran back to the bathroom to check on Matt. Every instinct within him
screamed to grab the frail form in his arms and drive to the nearest
hospital. The only thing that stopped him was the fact he didn't know
where the nearest hospital was and didn't want to risk jeapordizing
his brother's life further by driving aimlessly down unfamiliar
streets.

Finally the sound of sirens and Joe raced back towards the door.
He saw Jim driving up just as the ambulance came to a stop. The
paramedics jumped out and Joe gave instructions where Matt was,
following close behind them. Jim was relieved to see that both Joe
and Matt were fully dressed. He feared on the drive over how much
explaining would need to be done if the accident occurred while the
two were showering together. The paramedics secured Matt's neck with
a brace and gently lifted him out of the tub on a backboard. Placing
him on a stretcher, they carried him out and into the ambulance. Joe
insisted on going with Matt, but Jim managed to convince him to
follow behind in his car. He knew Joe was emotional right now and was
trying to protect both Roman's from unwanted questions.

On the drive over, Jim managed to get Joe to tell him what
happened. As far as he could surmise, Matt was cleaning out the
bathtub with some cleaning solution and must have slipped and fell
and hit his head on the side of the tub.

“Joe listen to me,” Jim said as they pulled up to the
hospital, let me do the talking. You're in no condition to speak to
the doctors.

Joe nodded. “I have to call Claire,” he said somberly.

“Let's wait and see what's going on. That way we can give
her accurate information.”

As they got out Jim's car, he grabbed Joe's hand. “Joe...he's
going to be alright.”